Vending machine



Jan. 14, 1930. w. A. PATTQN 1,743,931

' VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 29, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 mi g INVENTOR W4- P/I TH V ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1930. w. A. PATTON VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 29. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 1444. P17 7 IN ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1 930. w. A. PATTON 1,743,931

VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 29, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 v INVENTOR W4. Pl47'7'J/V ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1930. w. A. PATTON 1,743,931

' VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 29. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR M4 P4 T7Z7/V ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 14, 1930 .rArEs,

PATENT? OF'FIE-EI WILLIAM A. rnr'ron, or CATLETTSIBURG, KENTUCKY VENDING MACHINE Application filed February 29, 1928. Serial in. 257,912;

is automatically replenished with an article" to be vended subsequent to each vending operation thereof.

The invention also contemplates a vending machine which includes a coin controlled shaft carrying cam elements for controlling the opening and closing of the vending compartments.

With the preceding and other objects and: advantages in mind, the invention consists in the novel combination of elements, constructions and arrangement ofparts to be" hereinafter specifically referred to, claimed 25- and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective ofla vendingmachine constructed in accordance with my invention; c

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical trans verse sectional view of the same;

Figure 3 is a similar view taken at right angles to Figure? and having parts broken away;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail perspective;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective of the machine taken from the rear thereof and illustrating the doors for the vendingcom- 4o partments in open position;

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 1; c

Figure. 7 is a fragmentary view with parts of the cabinet orcasing broken away to illus-' trate the coin controlled, mechanism, the

latter being shown in top plan;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on line 88 of Figure 3; Figure 9 is a transverse sectional view on line 9-9 of Figure 7 "and illustrating the parts of the coin controlled mechanism in normal position;

Figure 10 is an elevation illustrating the coin controlledmechanism in operatedposi tion; and

Figure 11 1s a d agrammatlc view of the cabinet illustrating the order in which the slidesfall and rise.

Referring to the invention in detaila boxlike cabinet or casing 5, having an upstand ing longitudinal chamber 6 built thereon and extending substantially the entire length thereof; is' provided. The longitudinal chamber 6' is divided transversely by vertically-"extending s aced partition walls; 7 to provide longitudinally alined vending compartments 8, each offlwhich is adapted to containan apple or other saleable article.

A horizontally arranged trap door 9" is hingedly mounted, as at 10; ineach of the vending compartments above its bottom to afiiord a reserve supply compartment 11 in vertical ali'nement with each of the compartments 8; The trap doors 9 are normally supported inh'orizontal position to sustain apples by means of latch elements or but tons 12; each of which being pivoted to swing about: a vertical axis 13 and normally underlyingthe free ends of the trap doors. These latch elements or buttons are arranged to be successively disengaged from the trap doors to permit the reserve apples to fall into their respective vending compartments through themedium of a coin controlled mechanism to be hereinafter described.

For each'of'the vending" compartments a hand entrance opening 145 is provided in the front wall of the longitudinal chamber 6, the openings being normally closedby vertically movable slides or doors 15. Hinged doors 16 are arranged in the rear wall of the longitudinal chamber whereby access may be had to the compartments 8 and 11. As illustrated in" Figure 6; the slides are arranged for vertical movement in" vertical guides 17 between the rear face ofthe front wall of the longitudinal chamber and the forward edges of" the bottom walls": of the compartments 8! The guides extend from the upper edges of the openings 14 at" theopposite sides of the compartments 8 and extend a sufficient distance below these openings as to permit the slides to move downwardly below these openings.

To actuate the slides to open or closed positions, a coin controlled mechanism embodying a horizontally disposed shaft 18, extending longitudinally within the cabinet 5 below the slides and slightly in advance thereof, is provided. The shaft extends the entire length of the longitudinal chamber 6 and has one end projected beyond this chamber and journalled in a pair of parallel upstanding arms or bearings 19 attached to a base plate 20 which is anchored to the bottom of the cabinet by fastenings 21. To normally hold the slides in elevated position where they will close the openings 14, a plurality of spaced parallel eccentrics 22 is fixed to the shaft, each of which being arranged in vertical alinement with one of the slides. outer face of each of the slides and passes downwardly through guideopenings 24 in the bottom of each vending compartment where it rests upon one of the eccentrics. The eccentrics are so positioned about the shaft as to successively permit the slides to drop to open position, that is to say, each partial rotation of the shaft causes the eccentrics to successively occupy positions where its corresponding staff will fall and consequently permit its slide to descend.

Fixed to the shaft 18 between the bearings 19 is a check controlled wheel 25 having a circumferential groove 26 and a plurality of spaced radially arranged check receiving slots 27 in its periphery, the latter being adapted to successively register with an angularly disposed check receiving guide or tube 28 passing transversely through the top of the cabinet and attached thereto. To normally look the wheel against rotation a normally horizontally disposed latch element 29 is pivotally connected with the upper end of an upstanding arm 30 attached to one of the bearings 19. A circular keeper or enlargement 31 is formed upon one face of the wheel at its axis, and is formed with a plurality of radially disposed slots 32 in its periphery which successively receive a lateral lug 33 formed upon the under face of the latch element and projecting at right angles thereto- These slots 32 correspond in number to the number of eccentrics 22 element to disengage its lug from the keeper A staff 23 is attached to the- .hand lever.

31 prior to the actuation of the check controlled wheel, a link 37 is pivotally attached to the forward end of the latch element and operatively connected with the lever 34, adjacent its lower end, by means of a lateral pin 38 projecting from the lever and engaged in an L-shaped slot 39 in the link. As illustrated in Figure 9 the link normally assumes an angular position with one of the branches of the slot extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lever 34, so that the pin 38 will normally lie in this branch. It follows that a slight forward motion of the hand lever shifts the link 37 longitudinally to lift the latch element from the keeper. At this time the link gravitates to a vertical position where the lug 38 will lie within the other branch of the slot to permit the latch element to fall into engagement with the keeper.

To afford an operative connection between the coin controlled wheel and the hand lever, whereby the former will be rotated a partial revolution upon each insertion of a coin into one of the slots 27, a push rod 40, adapted to engage the coin, is carried by the The push rod lies horizontal with its forward end disposed within the circumferential groove in the wheel 26, and its opposite end pivoted on a hbrizontal laterally projecting pivot 41 carried by an outstanding bracket 42 fixed to the hand lever at a point above the latch element.

In order to release the trap doors 9 to permit the reserve apples to fall into the vending compartments as each slide rises to closed position, a vertically movable latch actuating bar 43 is movable along the forward longitudinal edge of each partition 7 in parallel guides 44. At its upper end each bar 43 carries a lateralextension which carries a latch engaging element 46 having a bevelled upper end 47 which moves against one end of one of the latch elements or buttons to swing the same away from the corresponding trap door. The bars 43 pass downwardly through guide openings 48 in the bottom walls of the compartments and project into the cabinet 5. To actuate the bars 43 a lifter element 48 projects laterally from one face of each of the cams in vertical alinement with oneof these bars,'so as to lift the same as each eccentric reaches its highest point; As illustrated in Figure 2, the eccentrics are located in stepped relation around the shaft while the lifters 48 are located in stepped relation to each other. It will he therefore manifest that the trap doors will be successively released as the slides successively close. A removable coin drawer 50 is arranged in the cabinet in advance of the wheel 25 so as to catch each coin as it falls.

In the operation of the machine a coin is inserted into the coin guide 28 and deposited in one of the coin slots 27 where it bridges the circumferential groove 26. The hand lever is now moved forwardly, first actuating the latch element to disengage its lug from one of the slots 33 to free the wheel 25. Continued movement of the lever engages the free end of the push rod 40 with the coin thus held in the slot to rotate the wheel a partial revolution. Incident to the movement of the wheel the shaft 18 is rotated to rotate the eccentrics, one of which is now in a position to permit its corresponding staff 23 and its slide to fall, rendering the corresponding vending compartment accessible to remove the contents thereof. As each slide falls the wheel will have been rotated sufliciently to dispose the slot 42 next in order beneath the lug 33, which at this time falls into the slot latching the wheel against further rotation.

Due to the eccentric arrangement the slides will be successively lowered from one end of the cabinet to the other, and reversely elevated successively from such end to the other. As each slide assumes closed position, its corresponding trap door will be released to permit a reserve apple to fall into the corresponding vending chamber.

It will be observed by reference to Figure 3, that the coin slots 27 extend entirely through the periphery of the wheel 25 and are of such dimensions as to permit coins of predetermined diameters to pass therethrough to prevent the machine from being defrauded.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coin controlled mechanism, a rotatable element having a plurality .of radially disposed coin receiving slots in its periphery arranged to successively receive coins, a latch element normally holding the rotatable element stationary, a hand lever arranged in advance of the rotatable element and having operative connection with the latch element, and a push rod carried by the hand lever and engageable with a coin held in one of the coin slots whereby to adjust the rotatable element about its axis upon movement of the hand lever in a forward direction.

2. In a coin controlled mechanism, a rotatable element having means for retaining a coin laterally of one face thereof, a pivoted latch element normally holding the rotatable element stationary, a hand lever shiftable towards and away from the rotatable element, a forwardly extending push rod carried by the lever and engageable with the coin, and an operative connection between the lever and latch element whereby to disengage the same from the rotatable element prior to the engagement of the push rod with the coin.

' 3. In a coin controlled mechanism, a rotatable element having means for retaining the coin laterally of one face thereof, a pivoted latch element normally holding the rotatable element stationary, a hand lever shiftable towards and away from the rotatable element, a forwardly extended push rod carried by the lever and engageable with the coin, a link pivoted to the forward end of the latch element and having pivotal and slidable connection with the hand lever whereby the initial movement of the hand lever in one direction will disengage the latch element from the rotatable element prior to engagement of the push rod with the coin.

Signed at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, this 2d day of February, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-eight WILLIAM A. PATTON.

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